Green Deal Collider 2026: TUM Coaches Empower Green Innovation Across Europe

In January–February 2026, the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) organised the course in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), combining online sessions, a six‑day on‑site workshop week in Tallinn, and follow‑up virtual teamwork and mentoring.

From TUM, three colleagues joined the teaching team in the role of coaches, complementing the lecturers and entrepreneurial learning experts from TalTech and TU/e. Together, they supported 43 international students from 9 universities in 7 countries (Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Latvia, Finland and France), with a cohort of 15 male and 28 female participants. The universities involved were TalTech, TU/e, TUM, Ilmenau Technical University, Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Riga Technical University, Aalto University and École Polytechnique. Among these 43 students, 12 came from TUM.

In this edition, 9 interdisciplinary and multicultural teams worked on 6 concrete challenges linked to urban sustainability and smart cities. The topics covered a broad spectrum of urban sustainability issues, from circular use and renovation of buildings to smarter water and mobility infrastructure, greener and healthier built environments, and climate‑resilient river landscapes, all supported by digitalisation and data‑driven approaches. The challenges were framed together with partners from the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities and TalTech research groups, as well as two TUM challenge providers from BEFIVE and Fraunhofer IESE, bringing in real data and real stakeholders from municipalities, companies and applied research institutions.

The course followed a structured challenge-based learning approach. After online pre‑sessions, the on‑site week at TalTech (22 to 27 January) included phases for exploration, ideation, analysis, building and pitching. Subsequent virtual weeks focused on testing, validating and finalising, including feedback sessions and final pitches on 12 February, giving teams time to iterate their solutions, conduct interviews, interact with challenge partners and prepare convincing presentations for the jury.

For the TUM coaches, the program was a valuable training ground to further develop their own competences in supporting innovation projects. They guided teams in problem framing, stakeholder mapping, USP/competitor analysis, customer validation and pitch presentation. This systematic approach made visionary concepts realistic, sustainable and actionable in line with the Green Deal.

At institutional level, the Green Deal Collider significantly strengthens European collaboration. It puts the EuroTeQ alliance’s vision into practice by bringing together TalTech, TUM and TU/e in an innovative learning format that integrates research‑driven entrepreneurship, challenge‑based learning and international mobility. By co‑designing and co‑teaching such formats, the partner universities deepen their strategic ties, offer their students unique intercultural and interdisciplinary experiences, and create a shared laboratory for experimenting with future‑oriented engineering education and green innovation. The partners are committed to building on this success by intensifying ties, enabling teachers to share tools and best practices, and growing challenge‑based learning initiatives.